South Africa is taking a giant step in its fight against HIV. The Department of Health announced plans to make a new, twice-yearly anti-HIV injection available in public clinics. The drug, lenacapavir, represents a potential turning point for HIV prevention. It could significantly curb new infections across the nation. Introducing lenacapavir for HIV prevention could change the landscape of health…
Tag: lenacapavir
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UNAIDS and the Fight Against Global AIDS Progress
Decades of remarkable progress in the global fight against HIV and AIDS are in jeopardy following massive and abrupt international funding withdrawals, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids (UNAIDS) announced at the launch of its Global AIDS Update 2025. The report, titled “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform”, was unveiled at Bertha Gxowa Hospital in Germiston.…
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HIV/AIDS Funding Gap: Government Steps In
The South African government has stepped in with a crucial R753.5 million injection from the National Treasury to sustain the nation’s HIV/Aids programmes. This vital funding seeks to close the HIV/AIDS funding gap. The withdrawal of the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) significantly impacted this gap. This move had threatened to derail decades of progress in…
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Twice-Yearly HIV Jab: Activists Call for Lower Prices
A groundbreaking, twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention is hailed as a potential ‘game-changer’. However, it is at the centre of a fierce debate regarding affordability. Health activists worldwide implore its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, to prevent a “missed opportunity for achieving equity.” This twice-yearly HIV jab could revolutionise prevention efforts. But that will only occur if it becomes accessible to all.…
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Global fund affirms commitment to lenacapavir rollout
The Global Fund for HIV, TB, and Malaria has reaffirmed its commitment to rolling out the twice-yearly HIV prevention jab, lenacapavir, in lower-income countries, including South Africa. This initiative will continue with or without the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), which recently encountered funding disruptions during President Donald Trump’s term. According to Global Fund…
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Lenacapavir injection: The new frontier in HIV prevention
At the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference (HIVR4P) in Peru, groundbreaking data on the lenacapavir injection revealed its remarkable efficacy in HIV prevention. With a single injection every six months, the drug completely halted new HIV infections among women and girls. It achieved a 96% risk reduction for other gender-diverse individuals aged 16 and up. Despite lenacapavir’s transformative potential,…
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Lenacapavir offers key HIV treatment advances
Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, was overwhelmed with emotion when she learned the results of a new HIV prevention drug trial conducted by Gilead. The new drug, lenacapavir, offered 100% protection against HIV for thousands of young women aged 16 to 25 in South Africa and Uganda. Bekker, who has witnessed the devastating impact of HIV…
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New HIV prevention shot promises six months of protection
A new injection containing the antiretroviral drug lenacapavir has demonstrated highly effective results in preventing HIV infection for six months per shot. The findings, announced by pharmaceutical company Gilead, mark a significant improvement over the current two-month protection offered by the long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injection. Lenacapavir, part of a new class of antiretroviral drugs called capsid inhibitors, works by interfering…